Means for distributing tobacco sheet material



B0 A. H. SANDQVIST 3,215,013

MEANS FOR DISTRIBUTING TOBACCO SHEET MATERIAL Filed Dec. 18, 1962 4 Sheets- 1 NOV. 1965 B0 A. H. SANDQVIST 3,215,013

MEANS FOR DISTRIBUTING TOBACCO SHEET MATERIAL Filed Dec. 18, 1962 I 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Nov. 2, 1965 B0 A. H. SANDQVIST 3,215,013

MEANS FOR DISTRIBUTING TOBACCO SHEET MATERIAL Filed Dec. 18, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet s MEANS FOR DISTRIBUTING TOBACCO SHEET MATERIAL Filed Dec. 18, 1962 Nov. 2, 1965 B0 A. H. SANDQVIST 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 United States Patent "ice 3,215,013 MEANS FOR DISTRIBUTING TOBACCO SHEET MATERIAL B0 A. H. Sandqvist, Norrviken, Sweden, assignor to Arenco Aktiebolag, Vallingby, Sweden, :1 Swedish jointstock company Filed Dec. 18, 1962, Ser. No. 245,578

Claims priority, application Sweden, May 25, 1957,

4,954/ 57 1 Claim. (Cl. 83-152) This application is a continuation-in-part of my application Serial No. 737,137, filed May 22, 1958, now abandoned.

The invention relates to cigar machines and, more particularly, to means for distributing tobacco sheet material in such machines, e.g. cigar bunch or wrapping machines and it is an object of the invention to provide a novel and improved device for feeding bands of such delicate material and distribute sheets thereof.

Another object of the invention consists in the provision of means for continuously or substantially continuously pulling a band of delicate tobacco sheet material off a reel so as to reduce the tension load on the band and nevertheless eliminating any tension load on the leading end portion of the band from which the sheets are severed.

Still another object of the invention consists in the provision of a cigar machine of the type referred to having compact and tension equalizing and reducing means for advancing a band of delicate tobacco sheet material,

With this and other objects not specifically mentioned, in view, the invention consists in certain constructions and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter fully described and set forth in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view, partly in section, taken on the line II of FIGURE 3, of a tobacco sheet feeding device embodying the invention and assembled with a cigar bunch machine;

FIGURE 2 is an elevational View, partly in section, taken on the line II-II of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an elevational view, partly in section, taken on the line III-III of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken on the line IV- IV of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a horizontal plan view taken on the line VV of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line VIVI of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 7 is a cross sectional view taken on the line VIIVII of FIGURE 6.

In the drawings, similar reference characters indicate like parts in the various views.

The band A of reconstituted tobacco material is by a pair of rolls 1 and 2 fed from a reel 3 over a guide roller 4 on a lever 5 rotatably mounted on the shaft carrying the reel. A counter-weight 80 is slidably adjustably mounted on the rear arm of the lever 5 and secured thereto by a set screw 11. A shaft 73 carrying the feed roll 1 is rotatably mounted in the frame 14. The shaft 73 carries a pair of idle rollers 7 and an intermediate rubber coated sleeve 8 which is secured to said shaft and forms part of the roller 1 which has a diameter equal to or slightly less than the diameter of the rollers 7. To each end of the shaft 73 is secured a ratchet wheel 74. Between the rollers 7 and ratchet wheels 74 the shaft 73 carries gear wheels 32 freely rotatably mounted on said shaft. Two pawls 75 each meshing with one of the ratchet wheels 74 are rotatably mounted on a pin 60 on each gear wheel 32 and connected thereto by a tension spring 88. Two dogs 77 are each Patented Nov. 2, 1965 rotatably mounted on a pin secured to the frame 14 and connected to the frame by a tension spring '89 to yieldingly mesh with the ratchet wheels 74 so that the roll 1 can rotate only in the direction indicated by an arrow in FIGURE 1. The feed roll 2 is freely rotatably mounted on a pair of arms 76, which are secured to a shaft 102 rotatably mounted in the frame 14. One of the arms 76 is connected to one end of a tension spring 87 the other end of which is connected by a pin 103 to the frame 14 to yieldingly hold the roller 2 in engagement with the rubber coated surface of the sleeve 8. To a yoke 78 are secured two substantially vertical rack bars 31 which mesh with the gear wheels 32 of the feed roll 1.

A hollow arm 12 is by bolts 17 secured to a shaft 15 rotatably mounted in the frame 14. The arm 12 communicates interiorly with a cylindrical cavity 16 in the shaft 15. The cavity 16 communicates through ports 18 with a chamber 20 in the frame 14. The chamber 20 is, via a valve 21 and passage 92 connected to a suction pump (not shown). The valve 21 is secured to a vertically reciprocatory rod 23 which is controlled by a cam 97 secured to the shaft 24. When the shaft 24 rotates the cam 97 controls the valve 21 to periodically establish suction effect in the arm 12.

To the upper end of the hollow arm 12 is secured a hollow sheet carrier 27 communicating with said arm. At its top end the carrier 27 is provided with a cutter consisting of two sheer blades 43 and 44. The blade 44 is fixed to the carrier 27 and the blade 43 is rotatably mounted on a pin 58, secured to the blade 44. The blade 43 has an arm 59 provided with a pin 45 secured thereto. An arm 46 is rotatably mounted on the pin 45 and it is by means of another pin 47, arranged at right angles to the pin 45, pivotally connected to one end of a link 48 the other end of which is provided with a pin 49 by which it is pivoted to one arm 51 of a bell crank 50. The bell crank 50 is freely rotatably mounted on a pin 53 secured to the arm 12 and its other arm 52 carries a roller 54 which, by a tension spring 55 connected to the arm 12, is held in engagement with the flat top surface on a head 97 on the upper end of a vertical rod 56 which is reciprocated periodically Vertically by a cam 57 secured to the shaft 24.

The sheet carrier 27 has a perforated suction plate 28 detachably secured thereto. The face of the plate 28 is slightly concave with the same curvature as the top surface of a bunch rolling table 29 (FIGURE 1) mounted on the frame 14 and upon which it is to deposit a tobacco sheet.

The yoke 78 has two downwardly directed arms 33 which are each pivotally connected to the top end of a lever 35. The yoke 78 is also provided with lateral rims 82 held in engagement with the rollers 7 of the feed roll 1 by tension springs 6 which connect the arms 33 with the frame 14. The two levers 35 are each by a pin 104 freely rotatably mounted on a free end of an arm 34. At their bottom ends the levers 35 are each by a pin pivotally connected to a relatively short arm 37 rotatably mounted on a pin 36 fixed to the frame 14. The two arms 34 are secured to a shaft 38 which is rotatably mounted in the frame 14 and one of said arms has formed integrally therewith a rear arm 39 the rear end of which has a slot 40. The arm 39 is by a nutted bolt 106 projecting through the slot 40 adjustably pivotally connected to the upper end of a rod 41 which is moved upwardly periodically by a cam 42 secured to the shaft 24 so that the yoke 78 can be reciprocated vertically. A bell crank lever 61 is freely rotatably mounted on the shaft 38 and has one of its arms 62 pivotally connected to a rod 63 which is reciprocated vertically by a face cam 64 secured to the shaft 24. The other arm 65 of the lever 61 is pivotally connected with one end of a rod 66 the other end of which is pivotally connected to an arm 67 fixed to the shaft 15.

When the yoke 78 occupies its top position the sheet carrier 27 communicates through the valve 21 with an air inlet opening 84 in the valve spindle below the spindle guide 99. When the yoke 78 is moved downwardly by the arm 34 the shear blade 43 has been rotated away from the shear blade 44 into a position to permit the leading end portion A of the band A to move freely downwardly between said blades. When moving downwardl'y the yoke 78 will, by means of the rack bars 31, the gear wheels 32 and the pawls 75 rotate the feed roll 1 clockwise (FIGURE 1) so that the leading end portion A of the tobacco band A will by the roll 1 be pushed downwardly whereby it is suspended freely. When the yoke 78 has reached its bottom position and the freely suspended leading end portion A of the band A occupies a position in front of the sheet carrier 27 and the valve 21 will be moved upwards to close the opening 84 and create suction in the sheet carrier whereby the leading band end portion A will adhere to the suction plate 28 of the sheet carrier 27.

When the yoke 78 rotates the rolls 1 and 2 by means of the rack bars 31 to push the leading band end portion A downwardly a corresponding length of the band A is pulled into the roll gap. By an appropriate adjustment of the counterweight 80 on the lever arm 30 the guide roller 4 will thereby first yield downwardly and thereafter upwardly so that the reel 3 rotates slowly and delivers the same length as that delivered by the rolls 1 and 2. Thus the reel 3 will periodically be started or accelerated slowly by the pulling action of the band when the guide roller 4 is depressed and it continues rotating when the roller 4 ascends to reassume its top position. Consequently, a length of the band A is unwound slowly from the reel 3 so that the tension load alfecting the band A will be minimized. But even though the reel 3 might continue its revolution during the band cutting operation the cutter 43, 44 will not operate on any tensioned portion of the hand because the feed rollers 1 and 2 operate between the guide roller 4 and the cutter 43, 44 and prevent retraction of the band A so that the roller 4 cannot subject the leading band portion A to any tension.

After the yoke 78 has returned to its top position the shear blade 43 is rotated towards the shear blade 44 so that it will at the top end of the carrier 27 sever a sheet from the tobacco band A. Thereafter the arm 12 with the sheet carrier 27 are by the arm 67 rotated clockwise (FIGURE 1) downwardly into the dash and dot position shown in FIGURE 1 whereafter the valve 21 will cut off the suction eifect in the sheet carrier 27 and permit atmospheric air to pass through the opening 84 and enter the carrier whereby said carrier will deliver the cut tobacco sheet to the rolling table 29. Conveniently the suction table is in conventional manner evacuated continuously or periodically and in such case it has a perforated suction plate for retaining the delivered tobacco sheet.

What is claimed is:

In a cigar making machine, means for distributing tobacco sheet material comprising a station with a substantially horizontal sheet supporting and rolling table, a tobacco sheet carrier having a suction surface, means for oscillating said carrier between a sheet delivery position above said supporting and rolling table and a sheet receiving position in which said suction surface is substantially vertical, a reel consisting of a band of said tobacco sheet material, cutting means operative above the suction surface of said carrier in its vertical sheet receiving position for severing an end portion from said band, stationary feeding means adapted continuously to engage said band between said cutting means and said reel for pulling said band off said reel and intermittently pushing the leading end portion of said band in front of the suction surface of said carrier in its vertical receiving position, means for causing said carrier to attract the leading band end portion by suction, means for causing said cutting means to sever said end portion from the band while attracted by said support, means to thereafter rotate said carrier from its receiving position to its delivery position, and means for thereafter interrupting the suction effect in said carrier to deliver the severed band end portion to said supporting and rolling table.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,472,895 11/23 Wegner 83-154 1,907,742 5/33 Coleman 83-282 2,538,972 1/52 Magnani 83-100 2,831,684 4/58 Cundall 83-161 3,060,775 10/62 Dreher 83l00 FOREIGN PATENTS 589,491 3/59 Italy.

ANDREW R. J UHASZ, Primary Examiner.

CARL W. TOMLIN, Examiner. 

